DOE will accelerate the technological advancement and commercial readiness of emerging water power technologies that can produce renewable electricity by harnessing the energy of waves, currents, tides, and free-flowing rivers, or energy stored in ocean thermal gradients.
The department will use ‘technology readiness levels’, a tool that has been used by several companies and federal agencies to measure and compare the maturity of evolving technologies, to evaluate and select projects.
This funding opportunity seeks to leverage private-sector investment in marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technologies by providing cost-shared funding to industry and industry-led partnerships in order to advance the technological and operational readiness of MHK systems and components.
Steven Chu, secretary of DOE, said: “Expanding the US clean-energy manufacturing base is an important part of the administration’s goals to diversify electricity supply options, increase national security, and accelerate green jobs development.
“These investments will help strengthen American competitiveness in renewable energy and transform the US into a lasting manufacturing presence in the 21st century clean-energy economy.”
